Plenty of Heritage Week activities in Offaly

A large number of events are taking place across Offaly during National Heritage Week, which takes place this year from Saturday, August 18 to Sunday, August 26. Events taking place in Offaly include "Edenderry in Times Past", a bush craft workshop and family history workshops. This year the Heritage Council is focusing on Ireland's Built Heritage. During the week, over 600 built heritage events will take place with many sites and houses being made accessible to the public for the first time. Speaking about the week, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan said: "The range of events taking place during National Heritage Week demonstrates the diversity and importance of Ireland's heritage. Now more than ever, the contribution that heritage makes to local and national economic development, as well as to Ireland's tourism offering, is being recognised." Speaking at the launch Michael Starrett, CEO of the Heritage Council said: "The diversity of events taking place during National Heritage Week is what makes it unique. Each year we are seeing a huge increase in the number of individuals and groups getting involved in the week. Seven years ago just 500 events took place for National Heritage Week, this year the week has hit a record high, with over 1400 events already registered. We expect over 600,000 people to attend events across the country, meaning a huge knock-on economic effect for local communities". National Heritage Week is co-ordinated by the Heritage Council in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and is part of European Heritage Days. For a full list of what's happening in Offaly during Heritage Week see http://www.offaly.ie/eng/Services/Heritage/News_Events/.